When Gary Gadwa spoke out against a permit for a proposed airstrip in his rural Idaho community, he didn't realize that his comments would result in a defamation lawsuit soon to appear before the Idaho Supreme Court.
In 2021, Michael Boren—co-founder of software company Clearwater Analytics—filed a permit to designate a portion of his Stanley, Idaho property as an airstrip. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a First Amendment nonprofit organization providing Gadwa's legal defense, Gadwa decided to publicly oppose the permit after Boren claimed the airstrip could aid in search and rescue missions in the area.
